Fighting the new killers: The Australia- Indonesia Centre Health Cluster

Heart attacks, cancers, mental disorders, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are on the rise in Indonesia and Australia. In 2007 they caused 60 per cent of Indonesian deaths; by 2014 this had risen to more than 70 per cent.

NCDs also account for over 90 per cent of Australian deaths. More than half the country’s adults are considered overweight or obese and a 2014 study found Australia’s obesity rate was rising faster than anywhere else in the world.

The Australia-Indonesia Centre’s Health Cluster will tackle these issues with collaborative projects that:

• increase awareness of the need to reduce NCD risk factors in both countries • influence both policy and practice for preventing NCDs from developing.

The Cluster’s research team are tackling the following key questions:

• Tracking NCDs: how well do current health-monitoring systems in Indonesia and Australia allow for tracking NCD risk factors, and the diseases themselves? • Infant nutrition: what are the major barriers to achieving good metabolic and nutritional outcomes in infants in Australia and Indonesia, and how can these be overcome? • Health literacy: how might innovative approaches to health literacy better enable timely access to and uptake of health information and services? • Medical education: how could innovative medical education help Indonesian and Australian clinicians address early NCD risks into the future?

Read more about the Cluster at: australiaindonesiacentre.org/clusters/health